Okanagan Lake

This article is about the lake in Canada. For other uses of the term, see Okanogan.

Okanagan Lake
Location	British Columbia
Coordinates	50°0′N 119°30′W / 50°N 119.5°W / 50; -119.5Coordinates: 50°0′N 119°30′W / 50°N 119.5°W / 50; -119.5
Lake type	Fjord Lake,[1] Monomictic, Oligotrophic
Primary inflows	Numerous Creeks
Primary outflows	Okanagan River
Catchment area	6,200 km²
Basin countries	Canada
Max. length	135 kilometres (84 mi)
Max. width	5 kilometres (3.1 mi)
Surface area	351 square kilometres (136 sq mi)
Average depth	76 m (249 ft)
Max. depth	232 m (761 ft)
Water volume	24.6 cubic kilometres (5.9 cu mi)
Residence time	52.8 years
Shore length1	270 kilometres (170 mi)
Surface elevation	342 m (1,122 ft)
Islands	Rattlesnake Island, Grant Island
Settlements	Vernon, Lake Country, Kelowna, West Kelowna, Peachland, Summerland, Penticton
References	[2]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Okanagan Lake is a large, deep lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. The lake is 135 km long, between 4 and 5 km wide, and has a surface area of 351 km².^[3][4][5][6] The lake's maximum depth is 232 meters near Grant Island (also called "Whiskey Island" or "Seagull Island" by locals). There is one other island known as Rattlesnake Island, much farther south by Squally Point. Some areas of the lake have up to 750 meters of glacial and post-glacial sediment fill which were deposited during the Pleistocene Epoch.^[1] The lake is composed of three basins, a larger North basin, a central or mid basin, and a Southern basin. The lake is drained by the Okanagan River, which exits the lake's south end in Penticton, after flowing over a small dam. Notable features of the Okanagan Valley include terraces which were formed due to the periodic lowering of the lake's predecessor, glacial Lake Penticton. These terraces are now used extensively for agriculture such as fruit cultivation.

Cities bordering the lake include Vernon in the north, Penticton in the south, Kelowna and West Kelowna in the centre, as well as the smaller municipalities of Lake Country (north of Kelowna), Peachland (south of West Kelowna), and Summerland (north-west of Penticton). Various lake features include Rattlesnake Island (a small island east of Peachland), Squally Point (a popular cliff-diving area) & Fintry Delta on the west side. The five-lane William R. Bennett Bridge, a floating bridge with a high boat passage arch connects Kelowna to the district of West Kelowna and the community of Westbank. This bridge replaced the three-lane floating Okanagan Lake Bridge on May 30, 2008 which had a lift span for passage of large boats.

Okanagan Lake winds between Kelowna (foreground) and Westbank (background).

Many parks and beaches are found along the shores of the lake, which make boating and swimming very popular activities. The lake is home to several species of fish, including rainbow trout and kokanee. It is said by some to be home to its own sea monster - a giant serpent-like creature named Ogopogo.

See also

• Ogopogo
• Okanagan
• Okanagan people
• Okanagan Trail
• List of tributaries of the Columbia River
• Kelowna Hydrofest
• Skaha Lake

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Eyles, N., Mullins, H.T., and Hine, A.C. (1990). "Thick and fast: Sedimentation in a Pleistocene fiord lake of British Columbia, Canada". Geology 18 (11): 1153–1157. Bibcode 1990Geo....18.1153E. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1990)018<1153:TAFSIA>2.3.CO;2. 
2. ^ "Okanagan Lake". BC Geographical Names. http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/20383.html. 
3. ^ Anonymous (1974a). Limnology of the Major Lakes in the Okanagan Basin. Canada - British Columbia Okanagan Basin Agreement, Final Report, Technical Supplement V. British Columbia Water Resources Service, Victoria, British Columbia, 261 pp.
4. ^ Anonymous (1974b). The Main Report of the Consultative Board. Canada - British Columbia Okanagan Basin Agreement. British Columbia Water Resources Service, Victoria, British Columbia.
5. ^ Stockner J.G., Northcote T.G. (1974). "Recent limnological studies of Okanagan Basin lakes and their contribution to comprehensive water resource planning". Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 31: 955–976. 
6. ^ "Okanagan Lake". World Lakes Database. International Lake Environment Committee Foundation. http://www.ilec.or.jp/database/nam/nam-51.html. Retrieved 2006-05-12. 

External links

• Bacon Magazine: The Ogo Pogo
• Media related to Okanagan Lake at Wikimedia Commons